“Not Having Enough Super Keeps Me Awake At Night”
Yumi Lee, chief executive of Older Women’s Network NSW, tells Tonic what issues in the forthcoming election are important for her.
The forthcoming federal election is critical because we need political leadership that brings us together and gives us hope for the future. We need leadership that has integrity, that is visionary and ambitious for the sustainability of this nation, and which cares deeply for the vulnerable. I urge everyone to really make their vote count.
There are issues that concern me, like climate change and having a federal independent commission against corruption, and I want to see policies from the major parties on these. But these are the four issues that really matter to me.
Gender equality and safety
It’s 10 years before I hit the pension age and I will not have enough superannuation to retire on then. It keeps me awake at night, and I know I am not alone in this. I want to see policies that address the gender pay gap, as well as superannuation policies to support younger women to build their nest egg. We also need policies which promote decent jobs, not policies which encourage the gig economy and job insecurity.
I want to see which political party will address the immediate emergency of older women falling into poverty and homelessness. We all know that older women are the fastest growing cohort among the homeless which is to be expected when older women reaching retirement age are without the savings or superannuation to retire on. This, coupled with below-poverty pension rates, can only result in one thing if the older woman does not own her own home.
The way women’s safety has been addressed by this government is appalling. Its attitude to women’s safety can be seen in how allegations of sexual assaults within its ranks have been addressed, and the fact that the Respect@Work report sat for one year collecting dust. That “big swinging dicks” culture in Canberra has not been stamped out because the perpetrators of all the bullying and assaults are still holding on to their jobs.
Sex discrimination commissioner Kate Jenkins identified a horrific culture of harassment and abuse, but not one head rolled and not one job was lost. The jobs which were lost were of those women who could not bear to be harassed and left. Look at what happened to Brittany Higgins when she reported her rape. She was shuttled from pillar to post before she quit.
The acceptance of sexual assault as “normal” can even be witnessed in aged care. I remain astounded by the inaction of the government and providers of aged care to stop sexual assaults in residential aged care facilities, acknowledged to be at least 50 per week.
Social inclusion
This includes policies that respect the rights of marginalised groups such as LGBTQI people. The recent religious discrimination bill debates around whether or not trans children should be excluded from protection were just heartbreaking. There is a way to build unity and inclusion to strengthen the social fabric of the nation. The way this government has gone about trumpeting its anti-China rhetoric has only stoked greater racism against people who look like me.
As a woman of colour, and one who looks Chinese, I have been the victim of racist abuse both overtly and covertly expressed, which have escalated since COVID, and also now with the government beating the drums of war against China. As a migrant, I also cannot understand why this government has not accepted the Uluru Statement of the Heart to advance reconciliation with First Nations people.
It is a matter of justice, and it is really ironic to me that it is the white Australians who always tell me to “go back to where you came from”, but never once have I heard this from Indigenous peoples, who actually have the right to tell me this.
Cashless Debit Card
The party that pledges to abolish the Cashless Debit Card will receive my vote. Not many people know about the CDC, or Indue card, because it has not impacted them yet. If a man controls the finances of a woman, telling her what she can spend her money on, how much and when, this is recognised as coercive control and is a serious form of abuse.
However, this is exactly what the Indue Card is all about: 20 per cent of your income is given to you in cash, with a private corporation holding on to 80 per cent and dictating how and where you can spend the money. It exacerbates poverty and keeps women in violent relationships. What is worse for women is that you even need to get permission to buy intimate items, like a bra, from an unknown, faceless person who can demand that photos be sent to prove you require this purchase. It is inhumane, demeaning and a travesty of human rights.
Aged care
I come from a culture where older people are respected, and where looking after the elderly is seen as an important responsibility. The aged care royal commission noted that two-thirds of aged care residents are malnourished. Can you believe that in a country as rich as Australia, so many of our elderly in aged care are not getting the nutrition they need?
Aged care providers were spending on average $6.08 per day for all meals per resident. This is 30c more than the one cup of coffee I sometimes treat myself to near my workplace. I therefore want to see policies that address the crisis in our aged care system.
The situation during COVID was even more dire. I cannot fathom how we can allow one of the most vulnerable groups in our community to be malnourished, dehydrated, neglected, and left to sit in their soiled pads for hours on end. If this were to happen to children, heads would roll and ministers would need to resign.